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Inside/Outside Update
PDA Staff Report
February 27, 2006
The Inside/Outside Update is a PDA staff report to our supporters. We will send this every Tuesday. We want to make sure our grassroots supporters know what we, at the staff level, are doing each week. If you find this information useful, please consider making a small donation.
This week, PDA asks you to participate in two important and timely actions!
Emergency War Appropriations: War Costs Approach 400 Billion
President Bush has submitted his "emergency" supplemental appropriation request to Congress. He is asking for $72.4 billion for the continued occupation of Iraq and the war in Afghanistan. This is in addition to the $320 billion already spent on Iraq and Afghanistan, and in addition to the $460 billion in military spending in the 2007 budget. And there's more, the White House has said it will seek another 50 billion dollars in bridge funding for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan for fiscal 2007, which begins October 1.
We are hearing from Senate staff that constituents are not calling and writing to protest the war — they need to hear from us! Take Action
Support a Just Peace for Israel and Palestine
PDA stands firm in its commitment to help bring about justice, reconciliation, and peace between the Palestinian and Israeli people, not as an abstraction, but as something real and tangible. To this end we are calling on our supporters to write Members of Congress and urge them to oppose HR4681, known as the Palestinian Anti-Terrorism Act of 2006.
This resolution would punish and isolate the Palestinian Authority for having conducted a free and fair election, in which the 'wrong' political party won. We agree with the bill's sponsors that the United States should take an active role in ending violence and extremism in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; but this should be done in a manner that recognizes the role that Israeli violence and extremism has played through the occupation of Palestinian land captured in 1967. Read more.
The Montgomery County, Maryland PDA chapter grew out of Meet-Ups on several topics, Montgomery County for Kerry, and others groups. We adopted the name The Montgomery County Progress Alliance to promote progressive values, policies, and candidates in our county, state, and nation. We've met each month and fostered cooperation between progressives and concerned citizens.
We've worked with Democracy for America, the After Downing Street Coalition, the Congressional Progressive Caucus, Code Pink, Goldstar Families for Peace, Progressive Maryland, Free State PAC, the Greater Silver Spring Democratic Club, People for the American Way, Leisure World Democrats, Teach the Facts, TrueVote Maryland, Montgomery County Coalition for Alternatives to War, the Campaign for America's Future, United for Peace and Justice, State Democratic Party Chairman Terry Lierman, the State Democratic Party, Democratic Party precinct leaders, and many others. Read more
PDA Board Member Rep. Maxine Waters has served this country with distinction. As the Representative of California's 35th District for seven terms, Rep. Waters has been the Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, the Chief Deputy Whip of the Democratic Party, and currently serves on the Judiciary Committee with Rep. John Conyers. Rep. Waters has been at the forefront of a variety of important issues throughout her time in Congress, focusing on poverty, economic development, equal justice under the law and other issues of concern to people of color, women, children, and poor people. She has been, and will continue to be, an important leader of progressive causes. PDA is honored to endorse her in the upcoming midterm elections. For more information about Rep. Waters, look here.
Tim Carpenter, PDA Executive Director, will travel to Ohio for a series of events in March. He will be in Des Plaines on March 3rd for the Christine Cegelis Rally. Ms. Cegelis is among the candidates endorsed by PDA.
The Illinois primary is just 21 days away. With your continued support we can elect Christine Cegelis — the kind of candidate PDA was created to support — to Congress from the state's Sixth District. While we have already accomplished a great deal in support of Cegelis' campaign, much work remains, and the stakes are high. The Democratic leadership has brought in their own candidate — an Iraq war veteran who has never lived in the district and still isn't calling for an exit strategy. Read more
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